28 | Dubai Recap & Olympic Memories

Summary

The Player's Box – Episode 28: Dubai Recap & Olympic Memories

Released: February 24, 2026
Hosts: Madison Keys, Jessica Pegula, Jennifer Brady, Desirae Krawczyk

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Episode Overview

In this lively episode, the Player’s Box crew—Madison Keys, Jessica Pegula, Jennifer Brady, and Desirae Krawczyk—recap their experiences at the recent Dubai tournament, share behind-the-scenes stories (with plenty of laughs), and swap Olympic memories from across multiple Games. The group navigates tennis travels, birthday mishaps, Photoshop fails, and insights into both the highs and quirks of being a pro athlete.

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Key Topics & Discussions

[01:11] Dubai Title Recap & Birthday Shenanigans

• Jessica Pegula’s 10th Title: Jess shares the story of her singles win in Dubai, touching on the motivation behind her travel (“didn’t want to take another zero on my ranking”), her tough semifinal comeback against Amanda, and the rare “perfect” final performance.

  • Quote – Jessica Pegula (01:43):
    “I had a really tough match with Amanda in the semis...I felt like the final I just played like, kind of perfect. It was just one of those where everything just went my way.”

• Nolsey’s Phone Incident: Amid post-match celebrations, Pegula finds her coach “on his phone” during her finale hug (“I was like, hello?”), creating a viral meme among her team and fans.

  • Quote – Jessica Pegula (02:44):
    “I, like, ran over quick...and he was just, like, on his phone...he told me he was sending the match point video to other people!”

• Birthday Plans & Overlooked Celebrations: The group teases Jess about her upcoming birthday, only for Maddie to realize her own birthday was ignored during the last episode.

  • Memorable Moment (06:01):
    Madison: “We filmed at the exact same time last week, and my birthday was going down, and no one even mentioned it, so I’m a little salty.” Jessica: “That’s an unforced error on us. On all of us, on our team.”

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[04:01] Unforced Errors of the Week

A recurring fan-favorite segment where the hosts share personal mishaps:

• Jenny’s Uber & Car Fiascos: An Uber driver assumes Jenny is “just playing tennis for fun,” and then Jenny exits from the wrong gate at the Austin venue.
• Maddie’s Birthday Snub: The forgotten birthday gets an airing.
• Jess’s “Snatched Waist” Photoshop Fail: The WTA’s social team mistakenly Photoshops Jessica’s waist and arm to cartoonish proportions in a finals promo—spawning social media hilarity.
  • Quote – Jessica Pegula (08:03):
    “It looked like they Photoshopped my waist to, like, in completely unattainable...Kim Kardashian waist size. As Maddie described it, perfectly, ‘Mrs. Incredible.’...It didn’t look real.”
• Des gets sick on her flight home (“unforced error” reluctantly accepted).

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[17:32] Dubai Tournament Withdrawals & Tour Scheduling

• Pegula and Keys unpack the surge of late withdrawals—11 WD’s and multiple retirements—in Dubai.
  • Draw remains highly competitive:
    Jenny: “Look at the final. Look at the semi...The level was insane.”
• Calendar Compression: Complaints about the relentless pace—multiple 500s and 1000s, plus a Slam, all before Miami—with minimal off-season rest.
  • Quote – Madison Keys (19:45):
    “A lot of people are constantly trying to...manage injuries and then you just have weeks where sometimes you can't.”

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[21:47] Dubai Doubles Drama & New Partnerships

• Desirae’s New Doubs Partner: Des teams with Luda Kichenok, and together they survive a nail-biting tiebreak with multiple match points.
• Jess Back in Doubles: Pegula and Krawczyk discuss doubles scheduling and Jess’s close defeat (“We had three match points and they won the tournament, so we basically won doubles, clearly”).
• Jenny’s Austin Comeback: Highlights from Brady’s Qualies match in Austin; she describes center court play and tough three-set loss—sums up with “You live and learn. You win or you learn.”

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[28:10] Olympic Memories: Golds, Losses, and Village Life

Major Olympic Moments by Each Host

• Jessica Pegula:

  • Recalls “walking in the tunnel behind men’s basketball” at Tokyo and the electric (and fickle) French crowds at Chatrier, Paris:
    Quote (30:15):
    “They’d be cheering for me, and then I’d...bounce my racket, and then they’d start booing me, and then they’d,I’d hit a winner, and then they cheer for me again. It was just...chaos.”

• Desirae Krawczyk:

  • Highlights the “torrential rain” and boat ride during the opening ceremony in Paris, taking a selfie with LeBron James.
  • “Olympic debut” moments, village pin trading adventures.

• Jennifer Brady:

  • Biggest memory: Spotting Yao Ming at Tokyo, asking for a picture, and being turned down (“No photos”).
  • Playful: “The guy is massive!...He was like, no, no photos...Oh, okay.”

• Madison Keys:

  • 2016 Rio heartbreak: Finished 4th, saw teammates win medals, got handed only a paper certificate.
    Quote (35:36):
    “I was so upset, couldn’t even look at it... I would have rather received nothing than a piece of paper.”

Village Life & Pin Trading (38:12)

• Pegula:
  “You can never replicate...all these countries, their own buildings, flags...meeting them, collecting trading pins...so unique.”
• Krawczyk:
  "You try to be cool but also...I think we saw Simone Biles. I was like, oh my god, that's Simone."
• The legendary pin dealer:
  Des & Jenny detail Team USA captain Kathy Rinaldi’s obsession with pin trading: “She was like dealing, wheeling — like a drug deal.”

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[43:21] Olympic History Fun Facts & Quirks

• Art, Sculpting & Naked Games: Jenny quizzes the group with obscure Olympic trivia (e.g., 1915 art competitions, nude competition in ancient Greece, barefoot marathon champions).
  • Jenny: “I do watch Bob Ross. So, happy trees—maybe if they're doing happy trees, I’m all in.”
• Iconic/Memorable Feats: Stories of super-aged competitors, runs of bad luck, and McDonald’s free burger pandemonium during the LA Games.

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[49:13] Winter Olympics Recap & Standouts

• USA Men’s Hockey Gold: Pegula is fired up about Team USA’s first gold vs. Canada since 1980.
  • Quote – Jessica Pegula (50:27):
    “The freaking hockey winning gold medal insanity...I’m ready to, like, jump through a wall.”
• Pop Culture Tie-in:
  “Jack Hughes...scored the game winner...he dates Tate McRae.” (Pegula brings in both hockey and singer-dancer trivia.)
• Inspirational Athletes: The team celebrates stories of competitors from non-traditional nations, athletes with “normal jobs” (dentists, ER doctors), and widespread “Olympian” awe.
  • Madison: “Everyone has such an appreciation for every athlete that’s made it that far...it’s a huge feat to even call yourself an Olympian.”

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[56:16] Who Am I? Tennis Trivia Game

• Last Week’s Answer Reveal: John Isner (most career aces, three kids, still involved in tennis); Jenny incorrectly guesses Ivo Karlovic.
• New “Who am I?” (Jessica): “Won a medal at the Olympics, wore lavender during a very important moment, six more titles than anyone in my family.” Fan guessing encouraged.

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[58:08] Fan Q&A: Tournament Withdrawals Explained

• Question: What’s the process of withdrawing from a tournament? Are there fines, point losses, injury proof needed?
• Answer (Madison):
  • Each player is allowed two withdrawals per year without fine, but “zeroes” (no points) still apply to mandatory events. If you go over the limit, fines increase by rank and withdrawal number.
  • Continuous injury withdrawals are possible, but only as long as you skip consecutive tournaments.
  • On-site withdrawals allowed twice annually (with variations).
  • Madison: “It’s a lot of money” if you go over; Pegula: “Not easy to keep track of!”

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Notable Quotes

• Jessica Pegula (on social media blunder, 08:03)
  “Thank you for giving me the waist of my dreams. But, like, what happened here?”
• Madison Keys (on Olympic heartbreak, 35:36)
  “I just want to go walk into the ocean now.”
• Desirae Krawczyk (on meeting famous athletes, 31:41)
  “We took a selfie with LeBron James. Did not see that in my Olympic debut.”
• Jenny Brady (on being star-struck, 32:59)
  “I see Yao Ming. Tommy, look! It’s Yao Ming. We have to get a picture...He’s massive!”
• Madison Keys (on village camaraderie, 40:03)
  “Everyone has such an appreciation for every athlete that’s made it that far, just because it’s a huge feat to even call yourself an Olympian.”

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Memorable Moments

• Jenny’s car gaffe in Austin; Jess’s viral “snatched waist” mishap
• Olympic crowd chaos, medals vs. certificates, and Pin-trading drama (“Kathy Rinaldi, pin dealer supreme”)
• Jessica geeking out over hockey, linking Olympic overtime heroics to pop culture
• The “Who Am I?” tennis trivia and the lighthearted ribbing among the co-hosts

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Timestamps for Major Segments

• [01:11] Dubai Winner Recap, Birthday Chat
• [04:01] Unforced Errors of the Week
• [17:32] Dubai Withdrawals/ Tour Schedule
• [21:47] Dubai Doubles + Austin Reports
• [28:10] Olympic Games Memories
• [38:12] The Olympic Village Experience
• [43:21] Olympic History & Trivia
• [49:13] Winter Olympics Stories & Recap
• [56:16] Who Am I? Segment
• [58:08] Fan Question: Withdrawal Rules

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Overall Tone & Vibe

Upbeat, fun, and candid—with plenty of back-and-forth teasing, self-deprecating humor, and honest glimpses into both tennis and Olympic life. The episode is a blend of technical insight, genuine friendship, and quirky personal stories—a true “all-access pass” for fans wanting to peek behind the baseline.

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Transcript

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This is the players box.

[Desiree Krafczyk]

Welcome back to the players box. I'm Desiree Krafczyk alongside Jenny Brady, Madison Keys and Jess Pugula. A friendly reminder to give our podcast five stars and subscribe on YouTube. First of all, congrats, Jess on your 10th title and fourth WTA 1000 title. And the this is also going to be coming out around your birthday. So happy birthday, Jess.

[Jessica Pegula]

Early birthday. Thank you.

[Desiree Krafczyk]

Speaking of that match in Dubai, how was it winning there? How was reactions all that?

[Jessica Pegula]

Yeah, I mean, it was, it was a great week. I flew there for, for just Dubai and everyone was kind of like, why are you here for one tournament? I was like, I don't know, like, I didn't want to take another zero on my, my ranking and travel wise, it wasn't that bad because I got to fly direct. So it definitely paid off and was worth it. Um, the. I had a really tough match with Amanda in the semis. I came back from like a set in 3 1. She was playing like lights out and I was able to kind of dig my way back into that match. And then I felt like the final I just played like kind of perfect. It was just one of those where everything just went my way. And you kind of always pray that that happens in a final, but definitely it doesn't always happen. So I don't know, I felt like it was a typical, like you get through the really tough match and you come back and then you just kind of play really? Well, the next day. Um, so, yeah, it was a. A good week.

[Desiree Krafczyk]

And we also saw that Nolsey. You went over to Nolsey and we're trying to celebrate with him, and he was on his phone.

[Jessica Pegula]

What was your initial reaction there? Uh, it was just funny. I, like, ran over quick and just, like, give him a hug, say thanks, whatever. And, yeah, he was just, like, on his phone, and I was like, there. Then, like, you know, you see, like, all the camera people, like, standing there and, like, WTA people, like, filming it. And I was just like. I was like, hello? He's like, oh, sorry. And he. Afterwards, he told me. He was like, oh, no. I was. I took a video of, like, the match point, and then he's like, I was sending it to, like, other people. And I. He's like, I didn't realize you were going to come over so quickly. But he's like, oh, my God, my phone is blowing up. Like, everybody is like, dude, what is wrong with you? What are you doing? Like, my kids, my wife are like, why are you on your phone? This is pretty fun. It was pretty funny.

[Jenny Brady]

Caught.

[Jessica Pegula]

Yeah.

[Desiree Krafczyk]

Made for good, good memes and stuff, but. Well, other than that. I know this is gonna come out next week on your birthday, but do you have any birthday plans coming up?

[Jessica Pegula]

I'm going to be in Austin. I'm gonna try and play that week. We'll see how I feel in a couple days. So, actually, I'll get to see Jenny, I think.

[Jenny Brady]

Yes.

[Jessica Pegula]

Maybe.

[Madison Keys]

Yeah.

[Jessica Pegula]

Yay. So, yeah, I get to see Jenny my birthday. That's my present.

[Desiree Krafczyk]

That's a nice present. Well, we.

[Madison Keys]

Oh, okay.

[Desiree Krafczyk]

Well, we'll get more into the Dubai and talk some more Olympic stuff. But first, let's get into our unforced era of the week. Jenny, I think you got a couple want to share.

[Jenny Brady]

Yeah, I just have a couple small ones, nothing crazy. Actually, I had an Uber driver the other day, and I think I told this to Jess, but I get in the car and I have my tennis bag, and she looks at me, and then, you know, a couple minutes into the drive, she's like, oh, you look like you'd be a professional tennis player. And then she paused, and I didn't respond, like, right away. And then, like, a few seconds later, she goes, but you probably just play for fun. And I was like, yeah, just for fun. Not professionally. And then I was in Austin and I was borrowing my friend Lauren her car, and I. It was my first time here at the site and stuff, and I was leaving, and when I was leaving. I saw the first gate that I saw. You know, I went out the first gate that I saw, and the guy was like, like, flagging me down, and I was like, yeah, like, what's the issue? Like, why won't the gate open? And then I rolled my window down, and he goes, this is the entrance. The exit is over there. And I was like, oh, oops, sorry. This is my first time. And he was like, yeah, have a good day. He was not having it. So that was my unforced error. Maddie, do you have one?

[Madison Keys]

I'm just glad that we have another. Jenny in a car. Unfortunate situation. Oh, my God.

[Jenny Brady]

As I was. As I was saying that as I started, I was like, oh, maybe I shouldn't actually say, because Jess is gonna say, oh, my God, really? Again? In a car? Are you serious? So, yeah, in a car.

[Madison Keys]

Yeah, I guess my unforced error is. Was going through our, like, rundown of our episode today, and it's like, it's Jess's birthday. It's Jess's birthday. Let's talk about Jess's birthday. And, like, we filmed at the exact same time last week, and my birthday was going down, and no one even mentioned it, so I'm a little salty.

[Jenny Brady]

Oh, yeah, that's an unforced error.

[Desiree Krafczyk]

That's a big unforced error.

[Jessica Pegula]

That's an unforced error on us. On all of us, on our team. The whole everybody. It's a. Yeah, everybody.

[Desiree Krafczyk]

It's a joint.

[Jessica Pegula]

We kind of did you dirty, like, big time.

[Madison Keys]

I was going through it, and I was like, oh, we're, like, really acknowledging Jess's birthday exactly one week after mine.

[Jenny Brady]

Do we. Do we do this for Dez's birthday?

[Jessica Pegula]

I think we talked.

[Madison Keys]

We filmed on her birthday.

[Jenny Brady]

Oh, yeah.

[Jessica Pegula]

Because she was talking about her plans

[Jenny Brady]

and, like, yeah, birthday dinner, April 12th for the team. That's my birthday.

[Desiree Krafczyk]

So that's coming up soon.

[Jenny Brady]

So that will not plan ahead. That will not be forgotten.

[Desiree Krafczyk]

So.

[Madison Keys]

So, Jess, do you want to talk about your.

[Jessica Pegula]

Talk about my. Well, I think every. Everybody saw my unforced air. I made the files of Dubai and the social team on WTA Social team posted on Twitter and on Instagram that, like, a picture of me and a picture of Alina with, like, the green WTA green color backdrop. And I looked at it at first, and I didn't, like, really notice it. And then I looked at it again, and then I saw, like, a couple people comment, like, what did you do to Jess's body?

[Madison Keys]

They.

[Jessica Pegula]

It looked like they Photoshopped my waist to, like, in completely unattainable. Like, Kim Kardashian waist size, as Maddie described it, perfectly misses Incredible. Like, it was, like, it didn't look real. It looked like a cartoon. And so, of course, I, like, commented, and then everybody commented, and they ended up taking it down. And I'm kind of upset because I wish they would have kept it up. It was really funny, and it, like, blew up on social media and on Twitter. I said. I said, thank you for giving me the waste of my dreams. But, like, what happened here? Because it was so ridiculous, and then everyone was, like, commenting on it, and it was really funny. I think what happened is that when they went to Photoshop the color behind our pictures from the WTA, I have, like, white on the side of my dress, which is what made it flattering because it did make my waist look smaller, but it took out the white because it matched the backdrop, and so it just was like an automatic thing. My arm was also, like, a little deformed as well, so it was just. It was a bad little Photoshop error. But I thought it was hilarious. Everyone else did. Jenny was, like, obsessed.

[Jenny Brady]

I was absolutely obsessed. You don't even understand the amount of times throughout the day that I would just go back and look at it and just hysterically laugh. And I was showing everyone. I was showing everyone, and I thought it was so funny.

[Jessica Pegula]

It was hilarious.

[Jenny Brady]

Honestly, the part that really made it even funnier was as soon as Maddie said Mrs. Incredible, and I just couldn't unsee it. And so every time I looked at it, I was just like, literally, she's Mrs. Incredible.

[Desiree Krafczyk]

So.

[Jenny Brady]

And you looked incredible. So.

[Jessica Pegula]

Yeah, I was like, the way. Thanks. Like, literally would have been. Don't really have. It was great.

[Madison Keys]

It would have been better if they didn't also remove, like, half of your arm.

[Jessica Pegula]

Yeah, it looked. It looked like someone literally, when you Photoshop and, you know, like, you go in with the thing and you try to, like, shape it. I don't know how. What I'm trying. Yeah. Shape the body and take out certain parts. It looked like someone did it, like, with their mouse pad manually. It was just all. All, like, blotchy and weird.

[Desiree Krafczyk]

Contorted.

[Jessica Pegula]

But yeah. No hard feelings towards the WTA, though. They all apologized and we're like. Like, we promised. It was just an accident. I know.

[Jenny Brady]

Yeah, it was hysterical.

[Jessica Pegula]

Guys, do you have one?

[Desiree Krafczyk]

Not that I can think of, to be honest. No.

[Jessica Pegula]

So getting sick on your flight home?

[Desiree Krafczyk]

Yeah, I mean, yeah, I guess that's getting sick and trying not to sniffle

[Madison Keys]

on the pod,

[Desiree Krafczyk]

but other than it right now, I'm just happy to be home. So. Yeah, I guess it's a winner. Yeah, but unforced error, I guess. Winners this week. Jenny in the car. Jess's snatched waist.

[Jenny Brady]

I think about's birthday.

[Jessica Pegula]

But yeah, Maddie's was just completely neglected

[Jenny Brady]

her and we forgot about her.

[Jessica Pegula]

I can make you take it if you want it, so.

[Jenny Brady]

Oh, dez. Yeah, you should.

[Desiree Krafczyk]

Oh, Jenny wants a cake.

[Jessica Pegula]

Okay.

[Madison Keys]

I like funfetti. So perfect.

[Jenny Brady]

Des made a funfetti cake last year.

[Jessica Pegula]

I did? Oh, yeah, you did.

[Jenny Brady]

I did.

[Desiree Krafczyk]

Wait, you guys tried it?

[Jenny Brady]

No.

[Jessica Pegula]

Yeah, after the escape room, no.

[Jenny Brady]

But I was with you, so I saw you making it.

[Jessica Pegula]

But you said you over mixed it or something because it was.

[Desiree Krafczyk]

Yeah, it was very heavy. I mean, I made one for juju's birthday. It was very heavy.

[Jenny Brady]

Oh. I like really dense, dry cake. I don't like frosting. Not for me.

[Desiree Krafczyk]

We went over that in your hot take. Yeah.

[Jessica Pegula]

Okay, moving on.

[Jenny Brady]

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[Jessica Pegula]

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[Madison Keys]

Unfortunately, I'm at the age where your life doesn't stop because it's your birthday. So I had practice, I had like an hour of like rehab exercises and things like that. But I did get a publix cake. That's like my one thing that I do every year where I get a publix cake because it's the best birthday cake in my opinion. So we had birthday cake and Bjorn made dinner and that was kind of about it.

[Desiree Krafczyk]

It's kind of a good birthday though.

[Madison Keys]

I'll take it.

[Jessica Pegula]

Me and DEZ are coming back from Dubai. There was some controversy. There was a lot of player withdrawals, last second withdrawals, couple retirements. Actually, I think there was. I think there was 11 and then maybe like two retirements. There was a lot. I was asking the trainers if it was a record. It wasn't quite a record, but I think it was a close second. So. Yeah. What are everyone's thoughts on. On that? I mean, the draw was still stacked though.

[Madison Keys]

I mean it's like still like a small condensed thousand and everyone is really good. So it's not like, yeah, you're missing a handful of people. It's like all of a sudden it's like, oh, it's a cakewalk week.

[Jessica Pegula]

Yeah, I know.

[Jenny Brady]

I mean like, look at the final. Look at the semi.

[Jessica Pegula]

I know. The semi final matches were insane. Like mine and then Alina and Coco's with the temp. The tie break in the second set was. Were you watching? It does. Are we. No, it was like the level was insane. The end of that second, 13, third, 15, 13 that or 16, 14. Like it was wild. But yeah, I also think it's just a tough time of year, like having less of a week in between Australia and then now we have an Abu Dhabi 500. And I was talking to Mark about it and he was just like, your guys schedule is insane. He's like, you have how many five hundreds do we have? From the start of the year to Miami we have four five hundreds and four one thousands and one Grand Slam. He was like, you guys are crazy.

[Desiree Krafczyk]

I think we have a lot.

[Madison Keys]

Five hundreds.

[Jessica Pegula]

Yeah, it's just a lot. And it's back to. So we got Australia and then you go play 500 and then we have back to back 1000s. One week 1000s then one week and back to back two week 1000s. So I think with like no time with the later, you know, start in the week in the calendar. I think that's just like, it's not surprising that a lot of people didn't want to play or were tired or hurt or whatever it was.

[Madison Keys]

I mean because if you off season is not very long. So I think a lot of people are constantly trying to like, you're just kind, kind of trying to like manage injuries and then you just have weeks where sometimes you can't and other weeks you can and whatever. So it's not like anyone really has like a big chunk of time to like be 100 healthy.

[Jessica Pegula]

I think we were all like, oh, we get to go to Australia later this week. And then like after Australia we were like, oh wait, we have no time before we go to the Middle east now. It's like always gonna catch up, I think at some point.

[Desiree Krafczyk]

Because how many days did you have after Australia if you were to play both 1000 Doha and Dubai, you had maybe I would have had three days

[Jessica Pegula]

at home to really before I would have to fly to Doha.

[Desiree Krafczyk]

Yeah, it's not much in the time. Zane time change the.

[Madison Keys]

This calendar has changed a bit as well because BJK cup used to be the week in between Australian Open and the Middle East. And I would consistently not be able to go play the Middle east tournaments because we would finish BJK cup on Sunday somewhere in the world. And you can't fly out until the next morning. And then you weren't going to get to either Doha Dubai, whichever one was first until like the Tuesday morning. And you're gonna have to play later that day.

[Jessica Pegula]

Yeah, it's impossible.

[Madison Keys]

So it's just, it's a really tough part of the year.

[Jenny Brady]

Yeah. Yeah, it is.

[Jessica Pegula]

Jenny loves Dubai though.

[Jenny Brady]

I love it. I love it, I love it.

[Jessica Pegula]

I wish I was like, I love Dubai. I love the courts there. I love the condition.

[Madison Keys]

Was the slogan like Love Dubai.

[Jessica Pegula]

Love.

[Desiree Krafczyk]

It should be or something.

[Jenny Brady]

I would put Jenny loves to buy.

[Jessica Pegula]

Yeah, the tournament slogan. That would be amazing.

[Jenny Brady]

Yeah.

[Jessica Pegula]

Does. How. How was it for you? We obviously were there together. The only two there of this group. You had some good matches, though. You had a crazy tie break that everybody was commenting about it on our last podcast post from last week. They're like, oh, my God, this is so funny. I'm watching Des right now in a crazy tie break.

[Desiree Krafczyk]

Yeah, yeah, no, it was a good week. I actually started playing with a new partner that I'm going to play with for hopefully, you know, this upcoming swing for the next few months and hopefully with the rest of the year and try to do make WTA finals with Luda Kitchenok. So we actually played together in Adelaide, made finals there and then decided to play together. But yeah, we had some good matches. Really enjoyed playing with each other. It's also nice to play with another, you know, doubles player that you can practice with all the time. So that really just helps kind of build the chemistry. But that, yeah, our match, our second round match was crazy. We were up nine, six serving. And you know, most people are like, okay, like, you know, you got it serving. No, definitely did it. We had I think six or seven match points. Oh, my God, it was crazy. But got it done. So. Yeah, no, it was.

[Jessica Pegula]

I never think I have it at any point in a 10 point tiebreaker. Let's just clarify. For some reason they are just like.

[Desiree Krafczyk]

But that's what's exciting about doubles. You think it's over, but these 10 point breakers, it just. It flip flops all the time. I mean, you know, Jess too. Yeah, doubles as well.

[Madison Keys]

It's over.

[Desiree Krafczyk]

You played dubs?

[Jessica Pegula]

Yeah, I Dubai, I played with Juju almost and last minute wanted to get some matches. Actually think really helped because we were able to play double Sunday, Monday, and then I played singles Tuesday. So it was nice to get used to the conditions there. But yeah, we lost a tough semifinal. Semis. Quarters.

[Desiree Krafczyk]

Quarters.

[Madison Keys]

Yeah.

[Jessica Pegula]

To Dabrowski and Stefani and we had finals, three match points. And they won the tournament, I'm thinking, because they won the tournament. So I'm basically like, we basically won doubles, clearly, because we had three match points.

[Desiree Krafczyk]

Oh, gosh. Yeah. Will you play more doubles? I know you were trying to play with McCartney, customer. A little bit.

[Jessica Pegula]

Yeah. I think McCartney and I are going to play in Indian Wells. Probably won't play Miami because the weather's always notoriously bad. And I had to pull out there last year because of just the Schedule gets really kind of jacked up, so won't play there, but gonna try and play a little bit more this year.

[Jenny Brady]

Yeah, I keep trying to ask Jess if she wants to play.

[Jessica Pegula]

I know Jenny asked to play in Austin, but I wasn't gonna play doubles. Which. Speaking of Austin, Jenny, do you want to talk a little bit about Austin's this coming week? You were in. You got quality's wild card.

[Jenny Brady]

Yeah, but I ended up not needing it. I got in off my protected, so, yeah, I played a. My first round quality's match yesterday. Today's Sunday, so I played on Saturday. And it was actually. There were a lot of people there watching, which was really cool. Played on center court. It's a really nice court. I can definitely see how Jessica won this tournament. The courts are fast, like lightning. And I could see how it definitely favors your game style. Like if you play flat and fast, that ball is just skidding. But yeah, I lost a three set match to Mandlick 64 in the third. But yeah, it's my second tournament back, first WTA tournament back. And I was honestly pretty happy just to be out there competing again. And yeah, just need to get more matches. Yeah, for all in the third, I think I was up 4015 serving. And then she played like a couple good points, whatever. And then it's like the super long, like deuce, add deuce, ad. And then I would play a good point on the deuce point and then on my game point, like on the ad point, like, I would miss my first serve and I was like rolling second serves in at like 60 miles an hour. And I was like, oh, come on, just hit it. And then like again, like deuce. And then it would be my ad and I'd be like, okay, like, I'm just gonna like, you know, like kick the serve in so I have a first serve and then like would miss it or like it would just be like too slow. And then she would be aggressive because she was like, ah, whatever, you know, like just playing lo. And so I was like playing pretty passive. And yeah, it caught up to me, unfortunately. But you live and learn. You win or you learn. So I learned a lot. And yeah, hopefully my next match I'll use that experience to love it or list it. Yeah, love it or list it or lose it. I lost it. So, yeah.

[Desiree Krafczyk]

Yeah.

[Jenny Brady]

And then I lost six, four. But yeah, a great tournament here. I love Austin. It's a really cool city. So I'm definitely sticking around for a few days and we'll get to see Jess.

[Desiree Krafczyk]

And.

[Jenny Brady]

Yeah.

[Desiree Krafczyk]

So are you coming to la?

[Jenny Brady]

Yeah, I think so. So then I'll see Desiree really soon, but I don't know when yet, so I don't know.

[Desiree Krafczyk]

Okay.

[Jenny Brady]

But, yeah, maybe. Maybe. Maybe I'll make Disneyland brunch.

[Desiree Krafczyk]

It's lunch.

[Jenny Brady]

Lunch.

[Desiree Krafczyk]

It's a late birthday celebration. Another birthday celebration.

[Madison Keys]

Oh, my God.

[Jenny Brady]

Oh, my gosh. Boo Boo wants to give.

[Desiree Krafczyk]

You know, she wants to take me

[Madison Keys]

out, so I said, why not?

[Desiree Krafczyk]

And Jenny's coming to Disneyland. She's gonna be a Disney adult for the day.

[Jenny Brady]

Yeah. I'm like, should I go on Wednesday just to go to Disneyland?

[Desiree Krafczyk]

Yeah, I'll give you the Mickey ears.

[Jenny Brady]

I don't know. We'll see. Tbd.

[Madison Keys]

Okay, well, the Winter Olympics are wrapping up, and all four of us are Olympians, so I thought it'd be fun if we kind of all talk about our own Olympic experiences. Does anyone have any, like, prominent memories from your Olympic experiences? Jess, you can go first, since you're wrapping red, white, and blue.

[Jessica Pegula]

Yes. For anyone that can't see, I am wearing my Olympics skims pajama shirt. It's very comfortable. It's very soft. But I had it with me fired up because the men just won the gold, like, right before we filmed this. So I'm feeling extra patriotic. But I played Tokyo.

[Madison Keys]

Yes.

[Jessica Pegula]

Yeah, sorry.

[Jenny Brady]

There's a lot of men's gold winners.

[Jessica Pegula]

Sorry, sorry, sorry. That was the only. It's the only thing I can think about right now. I played Tokyo, and I played Paris. Olympics Tokyo. I played with Jenny. Paris. I actually played with Des. Tokyo was Covid, though, so it was a little bit of a weird experience. Definitely not the full Olympic experience. I would say what was really memorable there were. Wait, you didn't walk in the ceremony, right, Jenny, because your knee.

[Jenny Brady]

No, because of my foot at the

[Jessica Pegula]

time or your foot. Sorry.

[Jenny Brady]

Yeah, me and Tommy stayed behind because

[Jessica Pegula]

he played the next day.

[Jenny Brady]

Yeah, we both did. Yeah. We were both like. Like, we didn't. Me, Tommy, and tennis. He also stayed behind because he was playing the next day.

[Jessica Pegula]

Oh, yeah, that was the joke where he was like, I didn't come here to walk. Yeah.

[Jenny Brady]

He was like, oh, my gosh.

[Ad/Promo Voice]

Yeah.

[Jenny Brady]

Francis kept saying, I didn't come here to walk because tennis literally was like, I'm not walking in this opening ceremony. I didn't come here to walk.

[Jessica Pegula]

Like, he basically wanted to prioritize his mouth.

[Jenny Brady]

I came here for gold. I didn't come here to walk. So, yeah, I forgot about that.

[Jessica Pegula]

It became. It became like, our, like, Line of the whole entire Olympics.

[Desiree Krafczyk]

Yeah.

[Jessica Pegula]

So I would say that was really. What was really memorable about that was, I think, just, like, walking in the tunnel, and we were behind men's basketball, so it was really cool. There was, like, so many chants and all this stuff, and we were right behind the men, who obviously have some, like, really famous basketball players. So that was really cool. And then I would say, in Paris, I mean, I. It was actually the match that I lost, but I played Alina Svitolina second round, and we played on Chatrier, and it was, like, full packed, and the crowd was just. I mean, the French crowd is notoriously very, like. I don't know, just all over the place, like, very into it. A lot of yelling, a lot of screaming. They're like, for you, then they're against you, and all this stuff. But it was really. It was probably one of the coolest matches I played because it was packed and they were just so into the match, and I ended up losing, like, six, three in the third. It was a really high level. And I remember, like, they'd be cheering for me, and then I would, like, hit my racket on the ground or, like, bounce my racket, and then they'd start booing me, and then they'd, like, I'd hit a winner, and then they cheer for me again. I'd be like, this is just the. It was the wildest atmosphere, just because it was just chaos the whole time. But it was. I thought it was really cool. And definitely a different crowd that I've played in front of. So that was probably another memorable moment. What about you, Des? You were there with me in Paris. Yeah.

[Desiree Krafczyk]

I think my favorite moment was the opening ceremony. It was completely raining, like, just torrential rain. We were on a boat, and also we shared a bus on the way there with men's basketball as well, and got to meet a few of the famous people, which was kind of cool. But the opening ceremony, I mean, I think we took a selfie with LeBron James. Like, that was pretty crazy. Did not see that in my Olympic debut. But, yeah, no, that was really cool. And then just to see us, you know, go down the river on the Seine, I believe it was called, that was really, really cool and really special. Even though it was pouring rain, it kind of just added to, like, the drama of it, and just. It was a really cool experience. And obviously, the training of the pins and the village, that was. That's really fun, but we'll get into that later. But, yeah, that was one of the moments That I remember well. I actually played doubles with Danielle Collins there. We played actually the Kitchen Oak Sisters, Luda and Nadia, and we lost in a 10 point breaker. But it was a very cool experience. I mean, going to the Olympics is obviously something so special and never take it for granted.

[Jenny Brady]

But Jenny, most prominent memory. Oh, when we went to the village. So all of us. So we were staying in a hotel. So we weren't staying in the village. And we all went to the village and just like, check it out. And like, walk around for like an hour. And everybody stayed except for me and Tommy, because we weren't going to the opening ceremony because we were a little bit injured. And we are walking back to the bus and we're passing the China House or whatever you call it, like, where they are. And I look and I see Yao Ming. And I'm like, holy, Tommy, look, it's Yao Ming. Like, we have to go get a picture with him. Like, the guy is massive. And so, like, we go up to the house and. Or the dorm, whatever you want to call it. And I go up to him and I go, yeah, photo. And he was like, no, no photos. And I was like, oh, okay. And then just, like, walked back. I was like, oh. I was like, oh, okay. And we were both just like, oh, my God, I can't believe you didn't take a photo with us. Like, what the heck? So, yeah, that's like my most prominent memory. I don't know right now that I can think of. What about you, Maddie?

[Madison Keys]

I played in 2016 in Rio. I think for me, the most, like, prominent memory, which is actually really sad. So I made it to the end. And it was the year that Jack and Bethany won gold in mix. Rajeev and Venus won silver and Stevie and Jack won bronze. And so we were all like. There were still a bunch of us at the later stages of the tournament. And I got fourth place. And it was like everyone was getting their medals delivered to them. And I'm just sitting there, just so depressed. They hand me a certificate and I was like, you're joking. I would have rather received nothing than a piece of my paper.

[Jenny Brady]

Yeah.

[Madison Keys]

I was so upset, couldn't even look at it. I just, like, left it in the envelope and I just, like, threw it somewhere. It took me like five years to even open it and, like, look at it. And eventually, finally, I was like, fine, I'll frame it.

[Jessica Pegula]

But

[Jenny Brady]

it's like, it's annoying.

[Madison Keys]

No, it's currently in a closet. Because I was like, I don't Want this in a closet.

[Jenny Brady]

You can't put that next to Daphne.

[Madison Keys]

No, like, but also I was like, guys, just don't. Don't give the fourth place person anything. Like, I don't want a piece of paper.

[Jessica Pegula]

Yeah, it's like, it's worse.

[Desiree Krafczyk]

Literally, just patient. Trophy or certificate.

[Jenny Brady]

Yeah. Thanks for showing up.

[Madison Keys]

Yeah, that's unfortunately my, like, it's like, seared into my brain just being handed this envelope with a piece of paper in it. And I was like, thank you so much. I want to go walk into the ocean now. Yeah, so that's mine. Does anyone have, like, an underrated part of the Olympics or the village or anything like that?

[Jessica Pegula]

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[Madison Keys]

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[Jessica Pegula]

The village experience is cool. I got to do that in Paris. We didn't stay the full time, but we did spend some time there. And I think it's just cool being around all of the different athletes and how it's just like this giant campus. And I think that's just like, you can never replicate or get that anywhere else. Like where all these countries, they all have their own buildings and their flags, and you're, like, talking with them, you're meeting them, you're collecting trading pins. I just think it's. It's something so unique that you cannot get anywhere else in any other experience. So I would say that is definitely the most, for me was like an underrated part. I don't know. What about you, Des?

[Desiree Krafczyk]

Yeah, I mean, you just.

[Jenny Brady]

You're in.

[Desiree Krafczyk]

You're in a Village, just with all these amazing athletes. It was also really hard to wrap your head around that, like, going into dining, you've just seen, like, so many other athletes in there. And I mean, I was like, I think we saw Simone Biles. And I was like, oh, my God, there's Simone.

[Ad/Promo Voice]

But, like, you're not gonna, like, go

[Desiree Krafczyk]

up to him and be like, hey,

[Jenny Brady]

can I get a photo?

[Desiree Krafczyk]

Because, like, you know, you're trying to be cool as well, but also to see, like, the other tennis players, like, Andy Murray. Everyone was going up to Andy in Rafa and, like, just asking for photos.

[Jenny Brady]

And it's just.

[Desiree Krafczyk]

It was just really cool to see that. I mean, because there's such big names as well, but the village. Yeah. Like you said, we were only there for a few days because some of us didn't last in the village. I think Emma. Emma's, like, not surviving. She was not sleeping. She was having too much fun. Fun in the village.

[Jessica Pegula]

Yeah. Emma Navarro was. She was tapped. She was. She was like, I'm too overstimulated. I can't do this. Yeah.

[Desiree Krafczyk]

I think, yeah, the village itself is.

[Jessica Pegula]

It's a really cool experience.

[Desiree Krafczyk]

Like you said. You can't replicate it.

[Madison Keys]

I think it's really cool how every athlete. It's. I think, obviously, when you're in your own sport, you kind of lose touch a little bit of, like, how cool it is and, like, how good you have to be to be at an elite level in your sport. And you always see other athletes, and you're like, oh, my God, they're so cool, and they're so amazing, and their sport is so cool. But it's like, everyone is doing that to everyone, no matter what the sport is. I think. I think it's really cool how everyone has such an appreciation for every athlete that's made it that far, just because it's a huge feat to be Even. To be able to just call yourself an Olympian.

[Jessica Pegula]

Yeah.

[Jenny Brady]

I didn't get to stay in the village, which kind of sucked because I really wanted to. But, I mean, I got to see it for whatever, like an hour or two hours. But I just think it's really cool that you have every single athlete that is staying in the village that, you know, they're all in one place, and it's like, you know, your competitors or other sports, and I think it's really cool. I would have loved to just meet other athletes and kind of get, like, their perspective and see, you know, what they eat. So. Yeah.

[Jessica Pegula]

Did you.

[Desiree Krafczyk]

Did you room with other athletes? When you were in Rio, Maddie, or you guys, it. Was it just all tennis?

[Madison Keys]

No, we had. We had hotels, and then we also had, like, rooms. But you could bunk with other tennis players.

[Desiree Krafczyk]

Yeah, we had. We had two girls, archery girls. And then we had Lily, who is table tennis.

[Jessica Pegula]

Yeah, table tennis. She went viral because one of the Steph Curry. Yeah. Was it Steph that came to watch her? That was really cool.

[Desiree Krafczyk]

And she celebrated and did the. Oh, that's cool.

[Jessica Pegula]

Yeah.

[Desiree Krafczyk]

I think that part is also really cool, because that's, like you said, it's one thing you get to meet so many different athletes, and then also being in the village, you get to trade pins. I feel like that's the only area you could trade pins. But I remember Cat. I remember Kathy Renaldi.

[Jenny Brady]

Oh, my gosh. I was just about to say Kathy in Tokyo.

[Jessica Pegula]

So she was upset every time I saw her.

[Desiree Krafczyk]

Every time I saw her, she was at the bus stop, and she's like, hey, you want to trade pins? It's seven in the morning. Like, we're leaving the village, and we're going to. It's like an hour drive, hour bus ride to. To the courts. This Philip Chatrier, and she's asking these coaches and other athletes like, hey, do you want to trade pins? What you got? You know? And, like, it's like, she's, like, dealing, wheeling, like a drug deal. Like, oh, my gosh.

[Jenny Brady]

It's unbelievable.

[Madison Keys]

It was so funny.

[Desiree Krafczyk]

Like, kathy, what do you have? And she's like, I'm not telling you. How many pins do you have? And I was like, oh, I have no idea. But, yeah, no, that's, like, the best part, I guess, too. But that's fun to do.

[Jenny Brady]

That's so funny.

[Desiree Krafczyk]

Yeah.

[Madison Keys]

Kathy.

[Jessica Pegula]

Kathy.

[Jenny Brady]

That was so good. Yeah, I like. Yeah. When we went to the village, she must have got, like, 50 pins. And I was like, how did you do that? I think I got two.

[Desiree Krafczyk]

Yeah.

[Jessica Pegula]

Yeah.

[Jenny Brady]

Okay. But anyhow. All right, move. Since we're still talking about Olympics, let's move on to the Olympics origins. Here's a few fun facts from the history of the Olympics, and let's see how everyone reacts to them. So in 1950. Sorry, completely wrong. In 1950, I thought you're gonna do,

[Desiree Krafczyk]

like, 1980s or something.

[Jessica Pegula]

Oh, my God, no. Okay.

[Jenny Brady]

Are we sure I should be doing this segment? Couldn't even read the first two words.

[Desiree Krafczyk]

You got it.

[Jenny Brady]

Okay. In 1915, art competitions became part of the Olympic Games that included music, painting, writing, and sculpting. Would you watch that? I do watch Bob Ross. So happy trees. Maybe if they're doing happy trees, I'm all in.

[Desiree Krafczyk]

I don't even know that reference.

[Jenny Brady]

Otherwise I'm out.

[Madison Keys]

You don't know Bob Ross.

[Jenny Brady]

I'm listing it. If it's not Bob Ross, I'm out. If it's Bob Ross, love it.

[Desiree Krafczyk]

Google right now.

[Madison Keys]

Yes, please go Google.

[Jenny Brady]

Yeah. If you don't know Bob Ross, I'm gonna cancel you.

[Jessica Pegula]

Oh my God.

[Jenny Brady]

Canceled.

[Jessica Pegula]

Oh, she muted.

[Madison Keys]

I was like, I don't know. I would actually. I'd probably watch it. I mean, sculpting sounds interesting, but we also like people go to like a ballet or you like go to a concert. That's kind of watching two of them right there.

[Desiree Krafczyk]

Yeah, it'd be interesting.

[Jenny Brady]

Yeah. Okay. Longest break in between competing at the Olympics. Hiroshi first competed in equestrian at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. He was 23 at the time. 44 years later, he competed in 2012 at age 71. Oldest Olympian, a 72 year old Swedish shooter who walked away with silver. Wow. Hiroshi took a 23 year hiatus.

[Madison Keys]

I feel like you combined two steps.

[Jenny Brady]

I'm just reading, I'm just reading the bullet points and I think I got a little bit ahead of myself.

[Jessica Pegula]

You went to Swedish guy?

[Jenny Brady]

But it was related to that. But not related. Okay, so let's focus on hiroshi.

[Madison Keys]

She's.

[Desiree Krafczyk]

Wow.

[Jenny Brady]

44 years later, he competed in 2012 at age 71.

[Madison Keys]

That's iconic.

[Jenny Brady]

Okay. The oldest Olympian was a 72 year old Swedish shooter. He won silver.

[Madison Keys]

Also iconic.

[Jenny Brady]

Yes. The Olympics have been traced back to the summer of 776 BC in Greece. But here's the kicker. Back in the day, they actually competed naked.

[Madison Keys]

Yep.

[Jenny Brady]

All the athletes totally naked.

[Jessica Pegula]

Well, wow.

[Madison Keys]

That kind of tracks though. Like, I mean all the statues you ever see, like you see everything.

[Desiree Krafczyk]

So.

[Madison Keys]

Yeah, clearly they got their inspiration from somewhere.

[Jenny Brady]

I wonder if that's where naked and afraid got their inspiration. An Ethiopian athlete who won the marathon at the 1960 and 1964 Olympics and setting a world record in the process. He was running barefoot, no shoes, no socks, nothing. Maybe he was wearing clothes though. On the cobblestones of Rome. Ouch. Ouch.

[Jessica Pegula]

Oh my God. Oh my.

[Jenny Brady]

Barefoot.

[Madison Keys]

Jeez, that's crazy.

[Jessica Pegula]

That's incredible.

[Jenny Brady]

Yeah.

[Madison Keys]

Jenny's feet could never, never,

[Jenny Brady]

never. Okay, last two. An American runner in the 1904St. Louis Olympics got a ride in a car for 11 miles of the race. After getting a cramp when the car broke down. He simply ran the last bit of the race, only to be the first to cross the finish line, winning the gold medal. He ended up being disqualified from the competition, of course, but won the Boston Marathon the next year.

[Jessica Pegula]

Okay, wow.

[Jenny Brady]

All right, last one. McDonald's offered free burgers, fries, and Cokes every time a US athlete reached the metals podium. However, when the Soviet Union decided to boycott the 1984 Games, America went on an unprecedented winning streak. And some McDonald's locations ran short of hamburger buns. It was also the most costly in the company's history.

[Desiree Krafczyk]

Wow.

[Jenny Brady]

McDonald's. Is McDonald's free for the athletes in the Olympic Village?

[Madison Keys]

Yes.

[Jessica Pegula]

Yeah.

[Jenny Brady]

Yeah.

[Desiree Krafczyk]

No, I didn't know that.

[Jenny Brady]

Unlimited McDonald's. Yeah. How many. How many chicken nuggets did Usain Bolt eat when he won gold?

[Ad/Promo Voice]

A lot.

[Madison Keys]

A lot.

[Jenny Brady]

Yeah.

[Madison Keys]

The line. The line for McDonald's in the Olympic Village is hours long sometimes.

[Desiree Krafczyk]

Great facts there. Jenny, continue with the Winter Olympics. Are there any headlines or, like, storylines that really caught your eyes. Eye or. Besides obviously just, you know, men's hockey.

[Jessica Pegula]

The freaking hockey winning gold medal insanity that just happened like, an hour before we shot. This was incredible. So I literally landed it. Didn't even go into my room. I just sat and watched in the lobby. I watched the last or the second period, pretty much most of the second, the third, and then overtime of the men's ice hockey gold medal game against Canada. And, yeah, it was crazy. Insane. Nobody seems to have the same appreciation as me, but, like, I'm, like, ready to watch a miracle. I'm, like, ready to, like, jump through a wall also. I mean, I think we fact that we beat Canada first time since 1980 when the miracle on ice happened. The women also beat the women in the finals to win the gold, which I didn't get to watch that because I was in Dubai, but that was incredible. So I'm obviously a big hockey fan, so I'm just. And we have a saber on the team. Tage. Tage Thompson. That one. He'll come back with a gold.

[Jenny Brady]

That's sick.

[Jessica Pegula]

Yeah, there's, like, some really cool storylines. And then the guy that scored the game winner in overtime, Jack Hughes, his brother, Quinn Hughes, also plays on the team. I think he also has another brother in the NHL and then his. I'm not sure about that maybe. But I know the mom also works on the women's U.S. hockey side, so she won a gold medal when the women won, so really, it was cool. And he scored the game winner. Oh, and fun fact, since maybe Maddie will like this because it's more pop culture. Culture. He dates Tate McCray oh, wow.

[Madison Keys]

I don't know.

[Desiree Krafczyk]

I got Jenny fired up.

[Jenny Brady]

What?

[Jessica Pegula]

Tamar Cray, the one who sings.

[Jenny Brady]

She sings.

[Jessica Pegula]

The one that was, like.

[Desiree Krafczyk]

Also went viral for, like, promoting Team usa, but she's Canadian.

[Jessica Pegula]

And, like, she's Canadian, but she's dating Jack Hughes. But she. Tip for T. Great song. No, what's. Wait, what's the first one that went super? Her first hit.

[Desiree Krafczyk]

Oh, gosh.

[Jenny Brady]

Oh, the sports car.

[Desiree Krafczyk]

She's great dancer, though.

[Jessica Pegula]

No, before that.

[Madison Keys]

YouTube's gonna make us take this part down.

[Jenny Brady]

Yeah.

[Jessica Pegula]

Anyways. Yeah. Go usa.

[Desiree Krafczyk]

Yeah. Alyssa Lou winning gold after she retired when she was, what, 16 from burnout in 2022. Coming back and doing her programs the way she wanted to. And I mean, that was pretty cool to see her do that.

[Madison Keys]

I've just really liked all of the stories of, like, the first ever athletes from X country competing in the Olympics, finishing their races. Like, there was a woman from Mexico, I believe that was a cross country skier that she. She's like a dentist, I think they said. And then there's a Haitian, I think he's also cross country skier who competed and finished the race. And it's just been really cool to, like, see all of those storylines. Those are the ones that are fun to me.

[Jenny Brady]

Yeah. I mean, I already said this on our last pod, the quad God. But also just Ilya. And also that's funny that he's like. I don't know the word, like, trending famous. I don't know. But because also Ilya from heated rivalry. For those who have watched nobody else on the pod but me, I have

[Jessica Pegula]

now I've caught up for my plane ride.

[Jenny Brady]

Oh, have you finished?

[Jessica Pegula]

No, I. I didn't finish, like, the very end.

[Jenny Brady]

Oh, okay. Wow. Well done. On the plane.

[Jessica Pegula]

I did watch on the plane.

[Jenny Brady]

Well, I. Well, I'm not much better. I mean, well, I started on episode four, so. But love the show and can't wait for season two, three, four, five, six.

[Jessica Pegula]

Started on episode four. But I love this show.

[Desiree Krafczyk]

It's amazing how many seasons and, like, episodes you skip in different TV series. It's actually crazy.

[Jenny Brady]

I know I still need to finish the.

[Madison Keys]

Jenny will be like, this is my favorite TV show of all time. And I'll text and be like, oh, have you seen this episode? And she's like, oh, I didn't watch the entire third season. Yeah.

[Jenny Brady]

I'm like, oh, I still need to. I still need to finish. Tell me Lies. I have one episode left and I keep forgetting about it and not watch it. Yeah. And I Did fully skip. Fully skip season two. Yeah. So just we're there. But what I was saying with Winter Olympics storyline, like, I was looking through somewhere, I saw like, some of like, the athletes, like, have like, jobs, like normal jobs. Like one is like a coffee barista and one like works at, you know, a local supermarket or something like that. And I think that's like, crazy that they're there and they're some of the best athletes in their sport and, you know, they're just normal humans. So.

[Desiree Krafczyk]

Yeah, yeah, one's a lab technician. I mean, it.

[Jenny Brady]

Yeah.

[Desiree Krafczyk]

No, it's crazy. It's amazing that they can do that.

[Jenny Brady]

Yeah.

[Madison Keys]

I think, I think the Mexican woman I'm thinking of is actually like, I think she's an ER doctor. I think the women's curler who, like pushes the thing, she doesn't. She doesn't add the extra little poke, she didn't add the extra leg. But I think she's a dentist. It's so impressive that these people are so incredible at their sport and they have full time jobs and like, like jobs that actually, like, matter. And I felt like when I was at the Olympics and I was talking to all these people and they're like, oh, what do you do? And I'm like, this is my whole life.

[Desiree Krafczyk]

Yeah.

[Jessica Pegula]

I'm not a doctor. I don't save anyone's life.

[Madison Keys]

I've never saved anyone.

[Jenny Brady]

Yeah.

[Jessica Pegula]

Oh, my gosh. All right, well, moving on to the who am I? We had Eva on last week and she. I will reveal her who her person was, but her what am I saying hints were all time record for career ACEs, has three kids and is still involved in tennis to this day, even though the player is retired. So her who am I? Was John Isner, which I believe. Who's the one that got it wrong?

[Desiree Krafczyk]

Me.

[Jenny Brady]

Jenny.

[Madison Keys]

Yeah, that was.

[Jenny Brady]

What did you say? I said Evo Karlovich.

[Jessica Pegula]

Yes, that's right. So when we guess together in the chat here, like, obviously not. So you guys can guess on your own. I think most of us got John Isner, but Jenny went quick with the Evo Karlovic and I was like, whoa, it's obviously John Isner.

[Jenny Brady]

She's like Serbian and he's Croatian.

[Desiree Krafczyk]

Also representing usa.

[Jenny Brady]

Yeah. But like, like her family background, you know, So I was like, oh, for sure.

[Jessica Pegula]

Like, you were very confident. It was very confident.

[Jenny Brady]

I was like, oh, guys, they're not gonna get this. But I am anyways.

[Jessica Pegula]

So I'm up next with my who am I? So I will give three hints. I won A medal at the Olympics. I wore lavender during a very important moment in my life. I have six more titles than anyone else in my family. I feel like it's pretty straightforward.

[Jenny Brady]

That was really good.

[Madison Keys]

I had an immediate guess on the first one and then halfway through your second guess, I was like, I know who it is.

[Jenny Brady]

That was good, Maddie. Yeah, I would not have gotten that. Well done. Well done on the clues.

[Jessica Pegula]

Yeah. Jenny, you calling me out?

[Jenny Brady]

No, no, she's being scared. Well done on the clues.

[Madison Keys]

We're scared.

[Jessica Pegula]

Yeah. I didn't. I didn't know. So anyways, everybody can guess in the comments below. Yeah. For those hints. I feel like it's straightforward. If you. If you're like a tennis. True tennis fan.

[Desiree Krafczyk]

Yeah.

[Jenny Brady]

Okay, let's move on to, I think just one fan question this week. Sorry, guys, we only have time for one, but. Okay. Fan question from. Is it Bri you're looking for? What is the process of withdrawing from a tournament, whether it's mandatory or a 250? Are there fines slash point losses? Do you have to cite a legit injury? How late can a withdrawal be? Etc. Wow, this was a crazy question actually.

[Jessica Pegula]

Maddie, take it away. Since.

[Jenny Brady]

Yeah, Player council, Madison.

[Jessica Pegula]

I'm the one on player council, but I still just. Maddie's the one.

[Madison Keys]

She's the one.

[Desiree Krafczyk]

You had a walking handbook

[Madison Keys]

withdrawals. You are allowed two withdrawals per year with no fine. But you still. If it's a mandatory event, you still get the zero. And if you don't play your required amount of five hundreds and you're pulling out of another one, that's also a zero for a 250. If it is in your allowed withdrawals, you don't get a fine and there's no zero. But if you go over two withdrawals a year, you get fined and it changes based on your ranking and how many you've subsequently pulled out of. So if it's like your sixth withdrawal for the year and you're top 10, it's like a lot of money.

[Jessica Pegula]

It's a lot of money.

[Madison Keys]

Yeah. So

[Desiree Krafczyk]

it's.

[Jenny Brady]

Yeah, it's a lot.

[Madison Keys]

But you, you have to have a reason. It can be. If you have an injury, you obviously have to send in like proof of injury and stuff like that. But you can also do per. Isn't it like personal reasons and also schedule change?

[Jessica Pegula]

Change of schedule, Change of schedule? Yeah, but yeah, it's. They made it a little bit more flexible with like the excused. So it's. Technically, it doesn't really matter what you use. It for you just get your three excused.

[Madison Keys]

Because it used to be you had to have like. You had to prove that you were like. Yeah, essentially.

[Jessica Pegula]

Yeah. With like a doctor, it was more like everything. And then now. Did you already say continuous? You can use continuous ones.

[Desiree Krafczyk]

No.

[Jessica Pegula]

Oh, you can use. So like, for example, let's say I pull out of Madrid with an injury, I use one of my excused, but I send it in as an injury. Send in my doctor's note. Whatever. If you pull out of Rome the following tournament, you can use that as a continuous injury withdrawal and it will only count as one. And you can use that, I think, as many times as you want.

[Madison Keys]

If you play anything in between.

[Jessica Pegula]

Yeah, yeah, then it's.

[Madison Keys]

Then, yeah, it's. Then it counts as a new one. And you have two on site withdrawals a year. Or is it one now?

[Jessica Pegula]

Two, I think two. No, two. I think it's two on site prize money withdrawals. It's not easy, like, to keep track of.

[Jenny Brady]

Yeah, yeah,

[Jessica Pegula]

yeah, yeah.

[Jenny Brady]

Okay, well, thanks for clearing that up. And I would like to share that that was actually a legit Gmail account. And please leave us a rating and review. It helps people find out about the podcast and don't forget to watch us on the players box YouTube page and send us fan questions on Instagram or to our email. And once again, happy birthday to Jessica

[Jessica Pegula]

and Maddie.

[Desiree Krafczyk]

Maddie, and we love you.

[Jenny Brady]

I'm so happy for you, Jess.

[Jessica Pegula]

Yay.

[Madison Keys]

Happy her birthday.

[Jessica Pegula]

Yay me.

[Jenny Brady]

All right, tune in next week. Thanks, everyone.

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